Audi Pembroke Pines

LIES, LIES, and more LIES 7/15/22—Audi Pembroke Pines locations were contacted and advised of a request to purchase a 2018 AUDI Q5— VIN: WA1BNAFY8J2209158, stock: J2209158. Salesperson Seth Th Pines locations were contacted and advised of a request to purchase a 2018 AUDI Q5— VIN: WA1BNAFY8J2209158, stock: J2209158. Salesperson Seth Thomas advised the vehicle was certified and sent over a price sheet that my sister-in-law (who was purchasing the vehicle) was amenable to. She provided a deposit and scheduled to complete the transaction the following Tuesday, 7/19. 7/19/22— My sister-in-law rented a vehicle and traveled 4 hours to the Pembroke Pines location from her home. Two hours into her journey, she received a text from Seth that there had been a snag—the Q5’s windshield had been cracked and the dealership received another that would be installed before her arrival. However, the new windshield was not OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), and that would void the certification. Seth advised Audi that Pembroke Pines would deduct $500 from the vehicle she wanted or $500 off the price of an extended warranty. My sister-in-law forwarded me the text, and I immediately contacted the dealership to speak with a senior leader. The salesperson I spoke with (name unknown) advised he was aware of the windshield issue (it had come up in their morning meeting), but leadership was currently in a meeting, and someone should reach out to me in approximately 45 minutes. In the meantime, Seth sends me a text of another vehicle, as a replacement, 2019 Q5— VIN: WA1BNAFY6K2098238, stock: K2098238. This replacement vehicle was $4,000 more expensive than the vehicle my sister-in-law drove to the dealership to buy! But the same offer: $500 off that price. I told Seth that was unacceptable and his response: “I understand but we didn’t do anything wrong here; we are being upfront about a problem that happened. I understand where you’re coming from, but that is going to be the best that I can do. I’m one of the senior floor managers and I have consulted with my bosses on what to do. At the end of the day, we always want to sell a vehicle, but you are not obligated to [buy] if you are not satisfied with what we are willing to do to make it right.” I called the dealership again to speak with senior leadership and was told that someone would contact me—they never did. My sister-in-law finally arrived at the dealership—and this is where the lies were exposed. While on the phone with my sister-in-law, I requested Seth escalate to senior leadership; he was unwilling to do it and wanted to handle it directly. After insisting we speak to someone else, he had us speak to Abbey (Sales Manager). We brought her up to speed regarding our concerns but had questions: How was the windshield damaged in detail? Could they show us the paperwork for the windshield replacement? Could they show us the paperwork for the certification? Abbey advised they would investigate these and follow up. Once she re-engaged us, she proceeded to talk about bottom line numbers (I stopped her) and asked her to answer our questions first. She could not answer how the vehicle was damaged. She could not locate paperwork on the windshield replacement. She could not find the paperwork on the certification—hardcopy or electronic. Abbey resumed the numbers discussion; the best she could do—was $500 off the price of another vehicle or $1000 off of a warranty That said, the price of the vehicle my sister-in-law would cost an extra $3,000! After my sister-in-law was punted over to another salesperson (Jay- who was forthright and acknowledged the situation was bad), it was confirmed the windshield was never replaced (not aftermarket) because it had the Audi etching in the glass. Here is my theory: the car we wanted was never certified, and Audi (Seth and others) concocted a story to justify this fact, before my sister-in-law’s arrival. Unfortunately, the damaged windshield was a fable too. So, they lied to the customer and lied on the Detailing shop. They should have been upfront and stated: “We made a mistake; the car is not certified. Here is what we can do—offer you a free replacement warranty comparable to the certification and take $500-$1000 for your trouble. Do you still want it?” Instead, they proceeded to lie, could not back up those lies—and only made things worse! Concerns became less about the car and more about the integrity of the dealership and overall sales experience. The kicker—the Sr. Sales or General Manager, Ryan, never came out to address these concerns once escalated to him, not while my sister-in-law was in the dealership nor on her 4-hour trip back home. Very disappointing. Lastly please don’t send us a template apology expressing your sorrow; when you had an opportunity to make it right with the customer while present. Anything now will seem like damage control or PR. More